Tuesday, August 19, 2008

The Issue Isn't Going To Go Away

As much as some would like it to disappear, the issue of electoral reform remains for Virginia Beach. The New Journal & Guide, South Hampton Roads' weekly African-American newspaper, ran this story http://www.njournalg.com/BeachVotersChallengeElectionSystem.htm

Okay, two glaring factual errors in the story:

1. It gets the number of City Council members wrong.

2. You can't single-shot this cycle, as only one at-large seat is up.

Two things the story misses on:

1. Even bigger than the Norfolk court case is the possibility of Barack Obama winning in November. The former civil rights lawyer would have a Democratic Congress to create all the new statutory authority he needs to have voting systems like Virginia Beach's struck down.

2. A cumulative voting system for Virginia Beach would add diversity to City Council while negating every publicly stated reason I've heard for maintaining at-large voting.

The story mentions the 2011 Redistricting process. I drafted 2 of the 7 plans in 2001. If the 2011 process started tomorrow, I'd submit a six district plan and an eight district plan on day one.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

No surprise with Carl Wright...he is all rhetoric and no substance.

Anonymous said...

Still pimping that race war, eh Henry?

-Reid

Avenging Archangel said...

On the one hand, Reid claims to support the VBTA's position of backing a ward system.

On the other hand, Reid ignores The Voting Rights Act of 1965, the prime vehicle for getting a ward system in Virginia Beach.

No, I leave race wars for Reid's kind of racial warriors: the KKK, Arayan Nation, etc.